A Shadow's Love
by NinjaScooby
Summary: Kylar is attempting to deal with the loss of Elene, and Vi is attempting to understand her feelings for Kylar. This is a short story focusing on the growing relationship between Kylar and Vi.
1. Chapter 1: Vi's Dilemma

**There is a chance the characters may act OOC, as I cannot replicate the exact portrayal of the characters from the books. I own nothing. The Night Angel Trilogy is copyright Brent Weeks.**

 **This story is set right after the events of the third book, Beyond the Shadows. I loved the growth between Vi and Kylar, and needed some type of closure for their relationship. I hope you enjoy! All feedback is welcome (constructive would be appreciated though).**

Vi was used to being alone. She understood the world of danger in a way that many couldn't even begin to fathom. It was easy to survive, and easy to rely on oneself when you had the confidence of being one of the greatest wetboys in the city. This new feeling that came from deep within her heart was something completely new to her. The way her heart surged when Kylar simply looked at her was something she could not explain. Even the way he said her name caused something inside her to melt, and these unfamiliar feelings brought her terror.

How could she, Vi, capable of sleeping with numerous filthy and horrible men in one night, and slitting their throats the next without thought, be vexed by such a simple man? _Kylar is no simple man_ , she thought despite herself. Somehow in the past few months she began to feel something she thought would never be possible. _Love_. She cringed at the thought. _Love is only weakness_. Yet somehow when he was near her she felt stronger than ever before. Somehow when he looked at her she felt more secure than when she was equipped with her most trustworthy blades.

The greatest problem of these new feelings was that she could not act on them. She could not begin to unwind these knots of desire and passion. _I will never be an Elene,_ she thought bitterly. How could she possibly deserve the type of love Kylar was capable of? He was meant to be with Elene, and their love was pure. She was used and abused, nothing more than a dead corpse killing others to fill an endless void. _I was meant to walk the roads alone, and meant to share my bedroom with only lust._ Vi hated herself for who she had become, mostly because she knew that Kylar could never love her the way he loved Elene. Compared to her, she was grime. The filthiest grime that resided at the bottom of the nastiest sewers.

Kylar would never love her, and she would find a way to accept that. If he ever looked at her with those piercing brown eyes it would be only her body he desired. Never her.

But how could she forget him? She couldn't leave him now. With Elene gone, he needed a friend more than ever. She wasn't sure if she could ever put aside those feelings of love for him, but she would certainly try. She was Elene's friend, and she promised to help Kylar heal. Even if it meant something deep inside her would slowly be crushed into submission, she would be there for him as a friend. _Once he returns to his old self, he will have no need for me and I will continue on my lonesome path as usual_. The thought made her feel empty inside, but emptiness was a feeling not at all uncommon for Vi.


	2. Chapter 2: Kylar's Reflection

Kylar's whole world had shattered. Elene had disappeared from his future, and he had never imagined a world without her. It felt as if his heart had been torn when the realization of Elene's death had hit him. _She was too good for me, anyway,_ he thought to himself. He wished he could have been the man she always saw in him. Her ability to see the best in every person was something he could never understand, and that made him love her even more.

 _I hope you are with the God you've always believed in._ The corner of Kylar's lips turned up slightly. He knew that Elene would be with her God. She was one of the purest people he knew, and she deserved the greatest place after death. _If you do exist, God, let her be at ease and content_. He raised his head at the thought. He felt a soothing feeling within him, and for a moment he almost believed it could have been her God.

Attending her funeral had been more difficult than any deader he had faced before. Elene had seemed too real, as if she hadn't been taken from him. He felt as if a simple touch of his fingers on her cheek could have aroused her, and her eyes could have opened and flared to life.

But, they didn't. Her eyes didn't open, her smile would never light up her face again, and her laughter would never fill his ears. He was sure he would have drunk himself to death by now if it hadn't been for Vi keeping watch on him.

Vi. The wetboy who had almost ended his life at their first encounter. The killer who had magically bound herself to Kylar with the very rings meant to promise his love for Elene. The assassin who had stripped Kylar of his destiny when she slid her knife into the Godking.

But something in Vi had changed. She was no longer held a slave to Hu Gibbert, or the Godking himself. She no longer seemed to be the emotionless killer he had grown to be weary of and she had fought alongside him. She had become a friend of Elene. He shook his head. Elene's forgiveness of Vi was yet another example of her purity and kindness.

He and Vi had shared a bond that was meant to be between he and Elene. During that time, he had felt her in a way he had felt no one before. Her fears, passions, anger and joys had become plainly known to him, and his to her. Every time he had wanted to touch Elene, he saw Vi. Beautiful Vi. He winced, how could he think like this when Elene had meant the world to him?

Days after Elene's funeral, he travelled to Caernarvon where he spent most of his time secluded in his new house. He would sit for hours in silence, and surprisingly Vi had accompanied him. She never forced him to speak, to which he was grateful. She would prepare food and drink for him if he ever needed, and would simply allow him to grieve over the loss of his love. His emotions were too great to put to words, but he appreciated her companionship more than she knew.


	3. Chapter 3: Vi's Contemplation

Vi hated herself even more. She looked over to where Kylar sat, and felt her face begin heating up. Her feelings for him were supposed to die, dammit. Seeing him grieve over Elene shouldn't have made her love for him grow. _Look at him, and look at you,_ she thought, _he will never be yours!_

Frustrated with herself, she began preparing dinner. To her dismay, she had loved just being around Kylar, even if he didn't acknowledge her very often. She had already come to the conclusion that her love for him would never be matched, but she would offer him the best friendship she could manage. Just to see him smile again, and laugh again, would make all her work worth it. _How pathetic have I become?_ Vi scoffed. She inwardly coached herself. _Get a grip you idiot._ She was a talented coach.

Slowly, carrying some plates of food, she walked towards Kylar and stopped a few feet away from his chair. "Hungry?" she asked.

He turned slowly to face her. Her heart filled with longing as his brown eyes settled on hers. _Gods woman, breathe!_

"I'm a little hungry," he replied quietly. She nodded in response and began laying the food on his table. She was so focused on placing the food she missed him say something else.

"Sorry, what?"

"Thank you," Kylar repeated. He stared directly at her.

"Oh, it's not a problem," Vi quickly replied. She turned to clean up, and he grabbed her arm. She froze.

"Not for the food." He spoke softly. His eyes lingered on hers and she understood what he meant. She nodded numbly, and a moment later he turned towards the food laid out beside him.

 _You can land like a cat from a 10-foot fall but this one man looks at you and your legs are jelly? Pah-theh-tic._ Why could he do this to her? She tightened her ponytail and forced herself to clean up to distract her thoughts. She hoped the place on her arm where his hand had gripped her would stop tingling soon.

Later that evening she walked through the hallway towards her bedroom. Kylar slept in the master bedroom and she slept in the guest room just beyond his. She passed and her eyes lingered momentarily on the figure lying peacefully on the bed. "Goodnight, Kylar," she whispered. Quietly she continued to her own room, where she lay staring up at the ceiling for many hours into the night.


	4. Chapter 4: Kylar's Thoughts

Kylar sat in his usual chair and stared out at the disappearing landscape in front of him. His thoughts had taken a turn over the past few weeks. His mind slowly drifted from thoughts of Elene to much more captivating thoughts of Vi.

He found himself, well, drawn towards her. He began noticing everything about her. The way her hips swayed when she moved, the way she bit her lip when she was deep in thought, the curvature of her body when she wore her tight clothing, the way it hugged her body in the most perfect way, especially around her supple brea– _No!_ He stopped himself. What was wrong with him? Didn't Elene deserve his attention? Was he worse of a man than he thought, unable to be committed to a woman he loved?

His expression grew stern. He was frustrated at himself. Was he wrong to keep Elene as a memory, and move toward another future? Surely, Elene would want Kylar to continue his life. To become the strongest man he could be, and to become a savior to those unable to fight for themselves. Did that also mean that he should move on from her?

Shaking his head, he stood from his chair. The night had now fully set in and he grew weary from his internal dilemmas. He walked back to his room and changed into his softer clothes. In the next room, Vi would be sleeping. _What does she think of me?_ His mind returned to the time when she and he were bound by the rings. She had felt something towards him. He remembered the way her face would flare red when he teased her and they'd bicker; yet he would sense feelings of warmth and desire towards him when they spoke.

There was no way she felt this way regarding him now. She treated him like a friend. He had made his feelings of love for Elene astoundingly clear and Vi had, he grimaced, felt his passion towards Elene when they made love.

 _Is this your work, Durzo Blint? You always said love was a noose._ He grinned inwardly. Durzo was a great man who had honed skills seemingly beyond perfection when it came to killing, but was a hopeless child when it came to love.

He wasn't sure how long he could go without blatantly blurting out what he felt to Vi. Maybe if he spilled his heart out to her, she would understand, and maybe even return the feelings! _Hah! She would take your heart and stomp on it._ The thought suddenly died in his mind. She had changed. He felt it before when they had been emotionally attached, and he could still feel it now. She wasn't heartless; she wasn't a coldhearted killer… at least not anymore. She had even felt these same feelings towards him! She wouldn't just toss his heart aside like some piece of garbage. She had to understand. She must. Right?

His mind kept him awake at night. His thoughts of Vi still caused him to feel guilt towards Elene. _Oh Elene._ Kylar let his eyes close, and he drifted towards sleep. _Forgive me._


End file.
